Halftime Report
Only two more quarters stand between the Rockets and the victory they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Lakers 67-49.
If the Rockets keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 23-12 in no time. On the other hand, the Lakers will have to make due with a 20-15 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Los Angeles Lakers @ Houston Rockets
Current Records: Los Angeles 20-14, Houston 22-12
How To Watch
- When: Sunday, January 5, 2025 at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Toyota Center — Houston, Texas
- TV: Space City Home Network
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $100.00
What to Know
The Houston Rockets’ homestand will continue as they prepare to take on the Los Angeles Lakers at 7:00 p.m. ET on Sunday at Toyota Center. The Rockets’ defense has only allowed 106.4 points per game this season, so the Lakers’ offense will have their work cut out for them.
The Rockets are headed into this one after the oddsmakers set last week’s over/under low at 220.5, but even that wound up being too high. Things couldn’t have gone much worse for them as they lost 109-86 to the Celtics on Friday. The contest marked Houston’s lowest-scoring match so far this season.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, the Rockets struggled to work together and finished the game with only nine assists. That’s the fewest assists they’ve managed all season.
Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led the Lakers over the Hawks in every quarter on their way to victory on Friday. The Lakers strolled past the Hawks with points to spare, taking the game 119-102. The win made it back-to-back victories for Los Angeles.
The Lakers’ success was spearheaded by the efforts of LeBron James, who went 13 for 20 en route to 30 points plus eight assists, and Anthony Davis, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 19 rebounds. Davis has been hot recently, having posted 13 or more rebounds the last three times he’s played.
Houston has been struggling recently as they’ve lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 22-12 record this season. As for Los Angeles, they are on a roll lately: they’ve won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 20-14 record this season.
Sunday’s match is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: The Rockets have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 48.9 rebounds per game (they’re ranked first in rebounds per game overall). It’s a different story for the Lakers, though, as they’ve been averaging only 41.7. Given the Rockets’ sizable advantage in that area, the Lakers will need to find a way to close that gap.
As for their next game, the Rockets are the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 4.5 points. This contest will be their fifth straight at home (so far over this stretch they are 1-3 against the spread).
Odds
Houston is a 4.5-point favorite against Los Angeles, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 4.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 218 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Los Angeles has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Houston.
- Jan 29, 2024 – Houston 135 vs. Los Angeles 119
- Dec 02, 2023 – Los Angeles 107 vs. Houston 97
- Nov 19, 2023 – Los Angeles 105 vs. Houston 104
- Nov 08, 2023 – Houston 128 vs. Los Angeles 94
- Apr 02, 2023 – Los Angeles 134 vs. Houston 109
- Mar 15, 2023 – Houston 114 vs. Los Angeles 110
- Jan 16, 2023 – Los Angeles 140 vs. Houston 132
- Mar 09, 2022 – Houston 139 vs. Los Angeles 130
- Dec 28, 2021 – Los Angeles 132 vs. Houston 123
- Nov 02, 2021 – Los Angeles 119 vs. Houston 117
